Adam J. Engler, Ph.D.

By assessing how “sticky” tumor cells are, researchers at the University of California San Diego have found a potential way to predict whether a patient’s early-stage breast cancer is likely to spread. The discovery, made possible by a specially designed microfluidic device, could help doctors identify high-risk patients and tailor their treatments accordingly.

The device, which was tested in an investigator-initiated trial, works by pushing tumor cells through fluid-filled chambers and sorting them based on how well they adhere to the chamber walls. When tested on tumor cells obtained from patients with different stages of breast cancer, researchers found a striking pattern: cells from patients with aggressive cancers were weakly adherent (less sticky), while cells from patients with less aggressive cancers were strongly adherent (more sticky)… Continue reading.

Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University have discovered a key feature that allows cancer cells to break from typical cell behavior and migrate away from the stiffer tissue in a tumor, shedding light on the process of metastasis and offering possible new targets for cancer therapies.

It has been well documented that cells typically migrate away from softer tissue to stiffer regions within the extracellular matrix—a process called durotaxis. Metastatic cancer cells are the rare exception to this rule, moving away from the stiffer tumor tissue to softer tissue, and spreading the cancer as they migrate. What enables these cells to display this atypical behavior, called adurotaxis, and migrate away from the stiffer tumor hasn’t been well understood… Continue reading.

A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has created a device that measures how “sticky” cancer cells are, which could improve prognostic evaluation of patient tumors. The device is built with a microfluidic chamber that sorts cells by their physical ability to adhere to their environment.

Researchers found that weakly adherent cells migrated and invaded other tissues more than the strongly adherent cells from the same tumor. Also, the genes that identify these weakly adherent cells make patients’ tumors five times more likely to reoccur within five years… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Adam J. Engler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Resident Scientist, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, to its College of Fellows. Dr. Engler was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for outstanding contributions to our understanding of how physical cues regulate cell behavior.